BY KAREN GRIFFIN, The Express

There's probably no show this year generating as much talk among the arts community as the Beothuck Street players' production of Evita.

Recording artist Damhnait Doyle has taken a six-week sabbatical from her music career to come home and work under the direction of her father.

"(It's) fantastic because I haven't had the opportunity to be home for quite that amount of time... in a couple of years," says the big winner at this year's East Coast Music Awards.

Still a month from its Sept. 19-23 run at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, over 150 actors, singers and musicians are two weeks into rehearsals.

Clar Doyle, producer of the large-scale production, tries not to think about how little time they really have left.

"I'm sure if we stopped and thought about it we'd get a little neurotic about the time," says Doyle.

His well-known daughter will star in the role of Evita herself.

The immense size of the production has the cast meeting a couple of times a week.

Everyone from Damhnait, to professional actors and rookie artists are involved in the production.

Jeff Kelland, a local musician, has only been a member of Beothuck Street for nine months.

He is enthusiastic about landing a principal role as Augustin Magaldi.

"I came in and auditioned and they said, 'We'd like to have you as Magaldi if you have the time,' " he whispers excitedly amongst the sounds of the piano and the voices.

At 42, Kelland says he has found what he should have been doing all his life.

Michael Coady, playing the character of Juan Peron, Evita's husband, dislikes using the word amateur because there are so many professionals in the community group.

"I shun the word amateur because so many people in our group are professionals in that they work professionally and as lovers of drama in general," he says.

Coady's day job as a computer specialist comes in handy with his role as president of Beothuck Street.

He also maintains the group's website and does promotional work for Evita.

Coady enjoys the challenge as an actor to work with such a large cast.

"I think it's good for me to tackle this piece because it's challenging; it's a good stretch for actors and, for me, I enjoy the chance to play a darker character," he says.

Clar Doyle and Coady worked together in previous the Beothuck Street productions.

Both maintain that this contributes to the smoothness of the work being done for Evita.

However experienced the cast and director might be, it doesn't mean finding the money to fund the musical will be easy.

"The rights for this (production) alone will run us about $8,000. As you know, as the manager of a community drama group, we couldn't go to the bank and borrow $18," says Doyle.

He adds that there are a group of people looking after finding the sponsors to get the show off the ground.

Latest budget figures, says Doyle, put the total of Evita at between $35,000-$40,000.

It doesn't worry the group too much.

They have been working on getting the production off the ground for a year.

At this point, Coady says Beothuck Street is only too happy to see the concept come to fruition.

"I have no doubt that they will be able to pull this off," says Coady.

Damhnait Doyle tries not to think about whether lending her name to the production will give it the boost it might not otherwise get.

Such thoughts make her nervous.

"I think I'm fortunate to be on the bill, especially in such a great role, I'm lucky to be able to do it," she says.